PSC wins county help for road

Wednesday

BARTOW - County commissioners voted Tuesday to help Polk State College with a road, though not all of the commissioners agreed with it.

PSC President Eileen Holden asked the County Commission to help with the project to build a permanent campus for the Corporate College at the future Clear Springs Campus in Bartow.

The entrepreneurial business and technical arm of the college helps train and retrain people for jobs or changes in their careers, Holden said, about 12,000 at last count. The new campus would improve access and clear space for other colleges where the Corporate College has shared space.

Students train in hands-on labs, learning to use the equipment and software at their jobs, to stay current for the 21st century.

She said the college also brings in $7 million in grants each year to help companies offset the costs of training employees and to help train more people at once.

While the County Commission had already given $2 million to help with the access road to the site, the project is still about $2.5 million short.

Holden said the college either needed more funds or would have to reduce the amount of space in the building.

When asked by Commissioner Bob English about how much help the college had already received, Interim County Manager Jim Freeman said the county had provided 10 acres of land along Winter Lake Road for the Public Safety Academy.

He said the county could divert $2 million from the county's capital improvement plan, but that would mean either delaying the Kathleen Road improvements - which he didn't recommend - or delaying already-delayed improvements on County Road 559A.

However, he said the county could help with $500,000 now, without delaying any scheduled projects.

County commissioners voted 4-1 to provide some help: $500,000 now with the option of seeing if the county has more funds available later in the fiscal year.

Edwin V. Smith, the newly selected County Commission chairman, said he couldn't support a funding request to help the college with a road.

"I love Polk State College and what you do for Polk County is wonderful," he said. "We are in austere economic times."

He cited how the county government and constitutional officers have cut budgets, including how the county cut $500 million and how the Polk County Sheriff's Office laid off 114 people, closed a wing of the jail and closed the farm and work camps.

Smith said staff has been cut so deeply in county departments that county residents have noticed that it's more difficult to get tasks done through the county.

He said funding education is the responsibility of the state, so the state of Florida needs to help with the road.

Other commissioners saw it differently.

English said the county would be getting something in return, namely, help for economic development.

"We need an educated workforce," English said. "It's critical we educate our workers to work for those new companies."

In other business, the County Commission:

• Passed a resolution asking the Public Services Commission not to approve a proposed rate increase for Aqua Utility. The utility, which serves customers in Polk County, has not had a rate increase or regular maintenance, in a long time. As a result, many repairs are overdue and rate increases to pay for it would double current fees. County commissioners found this excessive, especially on retirees, and asked the Public Service Commission to consider this in its decision.

• Renamed Helena Road north of Legoland Way to Old Helena Road, affecting six homes in Winter Haven. None of the residents had objections, Freeman said.

• Awarded a bid for the Polk County Elevator Modernization Project. Elevators in the Polk County Courthouse had reached the end of their useful life, Freeman said. The county will pay Mowrey Elevator Company Inc. $695,810 to replace existing elevators to save on maintenance and emergency repairs and improve efficiency.

• Approved a bid to build the new Holly Hill Water Production Facility and Reclaimed Water Storage and Repump Facility. The county will pay CenState Contractors Inc. $5.5 million to build a new facility along U.S. Highway 27.

• Approved a bid to to improve County Line Road from Ewell Road to State Road 60. The county will pay Utility Systems Construction Inc. $6.48 million to upgrade the road and shoulders.

news@newschief.com

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.